Jenny Rogers stumbled into it, years ago. She didn’t even know it had a name – not till she found a handful of others were doing it too. It’s not therapy. It’s not being a priest. But it’s got something in common with them both. It’s coaching.
I discovered coaching after many years as a journalist, and saw many similarities. I found it helpful to have a coach myself – so helpful I decided to train to coach others. But when I hit a bad time, the coaching became too much. I gave it up, and I’ve only recently started again.
Jenny, who you hear in this episode, is one of the greatest exponents of coaching in the UK, with a remarkable list of clients, and a number of books on the subject – and an exciting new one out soon. In this conversation, Jenny shares insights on what coaching is1, what it isn’t, and what it can achieve.
We start by talking about the difference between coaching and therapy, and how I might have helped myself as a coach if I’d taken seriously the opportunity to get supervision…
Find out more about Jenny here: https://jennyrogerscoaching.com/
UPDATE
1 What coaching is. One listener (Fiona) contacted me to say say she’d enjoyed the conversation very much but felt we mostly described what coaching isn’t. So I came up with my own short definition, and asked Jenny if she’d like to do the same:
Mine: “An occasion when you are working with somebody and it’s all about them, and you’re devoted to helping them get over themselves/circumstances to achieve a certain goal.”
Jenny’s: “A way of facilitating the other person’s learning so that they raise their self awareness and make better choices. The coach works on the client’s agenda so that they find their own solutions and develop their own skills.”